Ukraine “takes control of 1,000 square kilometers of the Russian mainland” … Putin urgently holds 3rd security meeting

Ukrainian ground forces will be on the move for a week now
Zelensky wants permission to attack deeper
Putin responds to report that ’28 villages were removed’
“It’s up to the army to decide” Sharp answer

The Ukrainian army raises a flag in a small Russian town
While the Ukrainian military announced on the 12th that they had taken over 1,000 square kilometers of the Russian mainland, Ukrainian soldiers raise the national flag in a small town in Kursk Oblast , southwestern Russia. Social Media Capture ‘X’

On the 12th, a week after ground troops entered the Russian mainland, the Ukrainian military said it had taken control of about 1,000 square kilometers (about 1.65 times the area of ​​Seoul) in the Kursk Oblast, southern Russia. Photos of Ukrainian soldiers raising the national flag in this area were also published. Russian President Vladimir Putin called a security-related meeting for the third time after the Ukrainian military attack, and the Russian military carried out an airstrike on energy facilities in Sumy Oblast in Ukraine, which is going over Kursk Oblast.

According to Reuters on the 12th, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Sirsky said at a staff meeting that day, “We are continuing offensive operations in the Kursk region. “Currently, we control about 1,000 square kilometers of the territory of the Russian Federation,” he said. In a speech that day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “From June 1 this year, the Russian military has attacked Sumy Oblast, which borders Kursk Oblast, almost 2,100 times,” saying, “Russia has brought war to other countries, and is now returning it to his own country.” “Yes,” he said.

He also mentioned the ‘Kursk submarine disaster’ which happened on August 12, 2000, on the same day 24 years ago. The Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, named after the Russian region where Ukrainian forces are currently advancing, sank in the Barents Sea in northern Russia at the time, killing all team members 118. President Zelensky said, “24 years ago, at the beginning of Putin’s rule, there was the Kursk disaster, and now we are witnessing another similar disaster that this is the last chapter of Putin’s rule. ” It is a memory of the past that could motivate President Putin.

President Zelenskyy also asked the West, which supplies weapons, to allow him to attack deep into the Russian mainland with long-range missiles. According to Newsweek, the Ukrainian military is said to be building a defensive line by creating trenches in Kursk Oblast. There appears to be an intention to continue occupying Russian territory and exchange it for Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory in future ceasefire talks .

In a meeting published via video on the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, President Putin said, “The main mission is to expel the enemy from the territory​​​​​​ ensure sustainable border security.” The security-related meeting was held for the first time on the 7th, the day after the invasion of Ukraine began, and the third on the 9th.

President Putin also showed a sharp appearance during the meeting. According to Bloomberg News, when the Acting Governor of Kursk Alexei Smirnov explained that Ukrainian troops had penetrated 12 kilometers into the Russian countryside and were in control of 28 towns, the President Putin paused and said, “It’s a matter for the military to decide.” The British BBC said, “This is a view not commonly seen in the Russian state media, and it shows the extent of the damage that Russia is suffering.”

Paris = Journalist Jo Eun-ah achim@donga.com